CHAPTER 3
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Because listening is an essential skill for effective communication, Chapter 3
offers strategies for improvement in the understanding and retention of speech
material, through effective listening and attention. Critical analysis and
constructive post-speech feedback are discussed in detail.
TRANSITION FROM THE 12TH EDITION
To reinforce the importance of listening in the speech process, this chapter has
been expanded to give more attention to evaluating speech effectiveness. A
direct connection is made between the audience’s role as listener and the
speaker’s role as effective presenter.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Introduction (p. 33): This chapter addresses the critical importance of listening on
the speech process and the strategies for its improvement.
I. Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and
responding to spoken and or nonverbal messages (p. 33).
A. Of time spent communicating, 50 percent or more is spent listening,
yet less than 2 percent of the population has had any formal
listening training.
1. One common listening problem is missing what was said.
2. A second is hearing what was said but misunderstanding the
message.
3. The third is not listening or not remembering what was said.
B. Becoming a more effective listener requires the practice of four
skills.
1. Improved attention when listening to speeches.
2. Improved understanding and memory of the information heard.
3. Critical analysis of what has been said.
4. Assessment of speech effectiveness.
II. Attending to the speech—paying attention to what the speaker is saying
regardless of extraneous interferences (p. 34).
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A. First, get physically and mentally ready to listen.
1. To physically prepare, alter posture, sit upright, lean forward,
make eye contact, and stop any random movements.
2. To mentally prepare, focus attention on what is being said by
blocking out miscellaneous thoughts.
B.
Second, suspend judgment while you hear the speaker out.
1. Instead of tuning out or getting ready to fight, work that much
harder to listen objectively, in order to fully understand the
speaker’s position.
2. Likewise, if a speaker uses offensive language, don’t be
distracted, but focus on what is being said.
C. Third, adjust to the listening goals of the situation, which are to
understand, retain, and evaluate information.
D. Fourth, identify the benefits of attending to the speaker’s words.
1. As motivation, ask why and how the information will be useful in
the near future.
2. Identifying benefits can help motivate the three previous
behaviors.
III. Understanding and remembering speech information—utilizing five
active listening behaviors in order to better comprehend and retain
speech content (pp. 35-36).
A. First, determine the speaker’s organization.
1. Determining a speaker’s organization helps to establish a
recognizable framework for the speech.
2. Effective listeners can mentally or physically outline the
organization, including a goal, main points, and detailed
supporting material.
a. Not all speakers are well organized.
b. Effective listeners must pay close attention to grasp the
main ideas.
B. Second, ask yourself questions to help identify key aspects of the
speech, and to determine whether enough information was
presented.
C. Third, silently paraphrase information.
1. A paraphrase is a statement, in your own words, of the meaning
you have assigned to a message based on your understanding
of the material.
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2. If you cannot paraphrase a message, either the message was
not clearly explained or you were not listening carefully enough.
D. Fourth, attend to nonverbal cues by accurately observing the
behaviors accompanying a speaker’s words, including tone of voice,
facial expression, and gestures.
E. Finally, take good notes.
1. Notes provide a written record of the speech and encourage
active listening habits.
2. Outlining is a useful note-taking strategy because it creates the
structure of the information and helps distinguish between
points.
3. Ideally, the listener’s notes should be similar to the speaker’s
outline.
IV. Critical analysis of the speech—the process of evaluating what you have
heard in order to determine its completeness, usefulness, and
trustworthiness (pp. 36-37).
A. One element of analysis is speaker credibility—determining the
speaker’s level of expertise and knowledge on a topic, and motives
for its delivery.
B. A second element of analysis is information quality—determining
whether there was enough information presented, and whether that
information was accurate, credible, and of high quality.
C. A third element of analysis is organizational logic—determining
whether the ideas were well ordered and logical.
D. The final element of analysis is emotional message—identifying
what specific emotions were used and whether their use was
ethical.
V. Evaluating speech effectiveness—determining how well you believe a
speaker meets key criteria or guidelines (pp. 38-40).
A. The ultimate test of effectiveness is how well a speech
accomplishes its goal.
B. There are general criteria required for all speeches.
1. Evaluate the content of the speech
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a. Does the speaker have expertise in the subject area,
establish common ground, and adapt the content to the
audience?
b. Does the speech contain high quality information, reveal
sources, and use visual aids?
2. Evaluate the organization of the speech.
a. Does the speech contain appropriate introduction, goal,
main points, sub points, and conclusion?
b. Are their smooth transitions?
3. Evaluate the language of the speech—is it clear, vivid,
emphatic, and appropriate.
4. Evaluate the delivery of the speech.
a. Does the speaker sound enthusiastic, use vocal
expressiveness, and flow?
b. Does the speaker have good posture, look at the audience,
and articulate his/her words?
C. Careful evaluation of a speech allows for meaningful post-speech
feedback.
1. While one goal of feedback is to give praise, it is also important
to offer suggestions for improvement.
2. Regardless of the type of feedback, it is important to phrase
advice very specifically.
3. A speech can always be made better.
LECTURE IDEAS
1. Offer students a situational look at the consequences of not listening, using
the following examples. Ask the students rhetorically, giving them time to
mentally answer, and then offer your own answer.
 What would happen if children did not listen to their parents about
crossing the street or talking to strangers?
 What would happen if patients did not listen to their doctors?
 What would happen if a bank teller did not listen to your instructions on a
savings account?
 What would happen if lawyers did not listen to directions from a judge?
 What would happen if students did not listen to their professor’s lectures?
2. At some point in their academic career, students have encountered a “boring”
lecture; probably more times than not. Prepare a short faux-lecture, making
sure to be as stereotypically “boring” as possible. Half way through the
lecture, announce: “And, obviously, this will all be on the next quiz.” Make
note of the students’ reactions before and after the announcement, then use
your observations to lead a class discussion on the importance of listening.
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Possible discussion questions: “How many of you have ever listened to a
lecture that was less than stimulating? How did you feel? Why? What did you
do? How would you have made it better? Why did I announce the ‘quiz’ half
way through?”
3. It is useful for students to realize how important listening skills are to business
leaders. For a look at the value of listening in the business world, either
incorporate the following web sites into an in-class lecture or direct students
to them for pre-class research:
 http://www.businesslistening.com/listening_skills.php: Addresses both the
practicality of and strategies for listening skills in the business world.
 http://www.womensmedia.com/seminar-listening.html: Discuss the value
of listening skills from a professional female perspective.
 http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/courses/soft_skills/active_listening_s
kills.htm: Offers international business perspective on listening skills
NOTE: Sometimes listening problems are not a skills-development issue for a
certain student. Listening difficulties may be the result of some other
communication-processing problem. Should you suspect such a problem, turn to
the university’s speech pathology department for hearing and speaking tests.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What do you think is the cause of most listening problems? What roles do
culture and gender play in interpreting messages between speaker and
listener?
2. What is the value of listening skills in the workplace? Can you think of
different jobs of professions that might require more of a focus on listening
skills?
3. Complete the exercises under “Listening” in the Infotrac College Edition
Student Activities Workbook for Communication. How can the techniques and
applications of being a good listener serve you in your collegiate career?
What will you be able to carry over to your professional career?
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CLASS ACTIVITIES
Activity #3.1: Memory Recall
Select an article to read aloud from a newspaper, preferably an international
story or editorial. Do not tell students it is a listening exercise, only ask them to
listen. When finished, ask students to answer a series of specific questions about
the article on a sheet of paper. After they have answered, have students switch
their papers with a partner. Re-read the article, directing students to note any
incorrect answers. When finished, discuss the number of incorrect vs. correct
answers. Why did the responses turn out like that? Why is it important to listen?
Activity #3.2: Listening in Pairs
Pair students off and have both talk, simultaneously, for 30-60 seconds. Then,
go around the room and ask the pairs what the other person said. Note that
listening requires concentration, therefore during speeches, one cannot be
talking, reading, or attending to other things, while a speaker is speaking.
Activity #3.3: “Who Am I?”
Organize students into a line. Take a piece of paper, containing one word or
picture, and affix it to the students’ backs. Students must then ask their
classmates questions in order to determine “who” or “what” they are. Students
cannot ask directly, “Who am I”, but rather must ask questions that will hint at
their identity, such as “Am I an animal or vegetable?” Students should write their
clues down, in order to create a profile. The goal of this activity is obviously to
promote listening—hearing and interpreting their classmate’s responses—but
evaluation as well—listing clues and determining what to ask next. To conserve
time, the class should be asking questions simultaneously, rather than one
student at a time.
Activity #3.4: Practicing Effective Listening
This is an excellent opportunity for the instructor to demonstrate appropriate
delivery, giving students the opportunity to see and hear what is expected of
them. Distribute the following checklist to the students. Their objective is to
observe and listen for the listed items. The speech can be a recording or video,
however, it would be best if the instructor delivers the speech for the
aforementioned reasons.
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WORKSHEET: Effective Listening Checklist
Check all items that were accomplished effectively.
CONTENT
_____ 1. Was the goal of the speech clear?
_____ 2. Did the speaker have high quality information?
_____ 3. Did the speaker use a variety of sources?
_____ 4. Were visual aids appropriate and well used?
_____ 5. Did the speaker establish common ground and adapt the content to the
audience’s interests, knowledge, and attitudes?
ORGANIZATION
_____ 6. Did the introduction gain attention, create goodwill, set the tone, build
credibility, and lead into the speech?
_____ 7. Were the main points parallel, meaningful, clearly stated complete
sentences?
_____ 8. Did the transitions lead smoothly from one point to another?
_____ 9. Did the conclusion tie the speech together, summarize main points, and
end on a high note?
LANGUAGE
_____ 10. Was the language clear?
_____ 11. Was the language vivid?
_____ 12. Was the language emphatic?
_____ 13. Was the language appropriate?
DELIVERY
_____ 14. Did the speaker sound enthusiastic?
_____ 15. Did the speaker show sufficient vocal expressiveness?
_____ 16. Was the presentation spontaneous?
_____ 17. Was the presentation fluent?
_____ 18. Did the speaker make and maintain eye contact with the audience?
_____ 19. Were the pronunciation and articulation acceptable?
_____ 20. Did the speaker have good posture?
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Activity #3.5: Team Listening Challenge
Divide students into teams. Each team is to build an exact duplicate of a project
model (you provide; could be anything; does not have to be complex) in the
shortest time. Each team is made up of a looker, a runner, builder(s), supplier,
feedbacker, and recorder/manager. The looker looks at the project model, and
may only talk to the runner. The runner takes the information from the looker and
relays it to the builders. The builders use information from the runner to order
parts from the supplier; only two at a time. The supplier may only issue the
builders two parts at a time. The feedbacker may look at both the original model
and the one under construction. The feedbacker may only speak to the builders,
and may only say “That’s right” or “That’s wrong.” The recorder/manager
documents the actions of the team, and calls team meetings when necessary.
The recorder/manager may only speak to call meetings. GENERAL RULES: No
one may change jobs. Builders may ask questions of the runner. The runner may
ask questions of the builder and the looker. There are no restrictions on the
messages, except that all messages must be spoken—lookers and runners may
not use diagrams, sketches, or drawings. END GAME RULES: If the team thinks
it is done, the manager notifies you to check the model.
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GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS
active listening: identifying the organization of ideas, asking questions, silently
paraphrasing, attending to nonverbal cues, and taking notes.
attending: paying attention to what the speaker is saying, regardless of
extraneous interferences.
critical analysis: the process of evaluating what you have heard in order to
determine a speech’s completeness, usefulness, and trustworthiness.
evaluation of speech effectiveness: how well you believe a speaker meets key
criteria.
general criteria: those skills that are required for all speeches.
listening: the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding
to spoken and/or verbal messages.
paraphrase: a statement, in your own words, of the meaning you have assigned
to a message.
remembering: being able to retain and recall information that you have heard.
understanding: the ability to assign meaning to what was said.
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TEST QUESTIONS
CHAPTER 3
Multiple Choice
1. According to most studies, the majority of our communication time is
__________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
spent
reading
writing
listening
speaking
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 33
2. Three of the most common listening problems are missing what was said,
__________, and not listening or not remembering what was said.
a.
b.
c.
d.
half-listening
hearing what was said but misunderstanding it
hearing what was said and disagreeing with it
thinking about what the speaker says while he/she is saying it
ANS: b
SEE PAGE 33
3. If a listener is allowing his/her mind to drift, over thoughts unrelated to the
speech, he/she is __________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
evaluating the speech’s effectiveness
silently paraphrasing the information
not attending to the speech
not enjoying the speech
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 34
4. Altering posture, leaning forward, and establishing eye contact are all ways to
__________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
get physically ready to listen
adjust to the listening goals of the situation
take good notes
promote memorization of speech content
ANS: a
SEE PAGE 34
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5. During a speech on capital punishment, a listener becomes upset and
offended by the speaker’s ideas, and quickly decides to ignore the remainder
of the speech. Given the response, this listener did not __________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
adjust to the listening goals of the situation
suspend judgment while listening
attend to nonverbal cues
correctly understand the material
ANS: b
SEE PAGE 34
6. If an individual modifies his/her listening from a speech at a dinner party to a
speech in the boardroom, then he/he is
.
a.
b.
c.
d.
getting physically ready to listen
identifying the benefits of listening
adjusting to the listening goals of the situation
suspending judgment
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 34
7. Identifying the organization of ideas, asking questions, silently paraphrasing,
attending to nonverbal cues, and taking good notes are all elements of
________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
remembering speech information
active Listening
attending to the speech
establishing speaker credibility
ANS: b
SEE PAGE 35
8. Asking, “What does the speaker want me to know?”, or “What are the
speech’s main points?” are two ways to determine _________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
the speaker’s underlying message
the speaker’s purpose
the speaker’s organization
the speaker’s motivation
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 35
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9. Stating the speaker’s message in your own words, using the meanings you
have assigned to them, is called _____________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
retaining
recoding
plagiarizing
paraphrasing
ANS: d
SEE PAGE 35
10. Tone of voice, facial expressions, and gestures are examples of a
speaker’s ______________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
delivery aids
nonverbal cues
character
nervousness
ANS: b
SEE PAGE 36
11. You know you have taken good notes if ______________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
your notes resemble the speaker’s outline
your notes captured the majority of the speech
your notes include the thesis statement
your notes include the speaker’s sources
ANS: a
SEE PAGE 36
12. The process of evaluating what was said in order to determine its
completeness, usefulness, and trustworthiness is called ________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Critical analysis
Target analysis
Refutation
Summarization
ANS: a
SEE PAGE 36
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13. If a listener mentally asks, “Was enough evidence presented to support that
position?” he/she is assessing the __________________ of the speech.
a.
b.
c.
d.
organizational logic
emotional message
speaker credibility
information quality
ANS: d
SEE PAGE 37
14. In a speech on hand-tossed pizza, a speaker presents a list of very detailed
steps to making a pizza by hand, and follows with precise examples. If a
listener is wondering, “Is this speaker an expert on hand-tossed pizza? How?”
he/she is questioning __________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
organizational logic
emotional message
speaker credibility
information quality
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 36
15. An evaluation of a speech should be based primarily on _______________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
how professional the speaker appears to be
whether the audience likes the speech
how well the speaker has met specific criteria
whether the audience retains the speech information
ANS: c
SEE PAGE 39
16. The ultimate test of a speech’s effectiveness is ___________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
how well it accomplishes its goal
whether it impressed the audience
the quality of its information and examples
whether it falls within the allotted time
ANS: a
SEE PAGE 38
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17. In a speech on marketing in the film industry, one audience member
finds the speaker’s visual aid, a large movie poster of Tom Cruise,
distracting. What part of the speech is the audience member
evaluating?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the speech’s content
the speech’s organization
the speech’s language
the speech’s delivery
ANS: a
SEE PAGE 39
18. During critiques, a speaker discovers that his/her enthusiasm and eye contact
had a positive impact on the audience? What was the audience evaluating?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the speech’s content
the speech’s organization
the speech’s language
the speech’s delivery
ANS: d
SEE PAGE 40
19. By the final main point, one audience member notices that hardly any
supporting information was used to develop the speech, and that the speaker
had simply rushed through the body. What is the audience member
evaluating?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the speech’s content
the speech’s organization
the speech’s language
the speech’s delivery
ANS: b
SEE PAGE 40
20. Good oral criticism will ___________________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
highlight everything that was done wrong
praise the speech’s strength
offer suggestions for improvement
both b and c
ANS: d
SEE PAGES 38-39
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True-False
21. T F 50 percent or more of our communication time is spent speaking.
ANS: F
SEE PAGE 33
22. T F Effective listening is the key to success in most occupations.
ANS: T
SEE PAGE 33
23. T F Regardless of how “good” a speech is, it can always be better.
ANS: T
SEE PAGE 38
24. T F A good listener listens equally to all speech material.
ANS: F
SEE PAGE 34
25. T F Asking questions during a speech can distract you from learning its key
aspects.
ANS: F
SEE PAGE 35
26. T F Interpreting nonverbal behaviors can help clarify the speaker’s
messages.
ANS: T
SEE PAGE 36
27. T F The critical analysis of a speech will help listeners determine if they
believe what they have learned.
ANS: T
28. T F
One goal of postspeech feedback is to identify errors in the speech.
ANS: F
29. T F
SEE PAGE 37
SEE PAGE 38
Postspeech feedback should be as specific as possible.
ANS: T
SEE PAGE 39
30. T F Identifying the spontaneity of a speech is not part of the general
criteria for speech evaluation.
ANS: F
SEE PAGE 40
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
International Listening Association. (2005). Retrieved March 2005, from
http://www.listen.org/
Joyner, J. (2001). Listening increases support from co-workers. Computing
Canada, 27(22), 31.
Lewis, T. D., & Graham, G. (2003). 7 tips for effective listening: productive
listening does not occur naturally. It requires hard work and practice.
Internal Auditor, 60(4), 23-26.
National School Public Relations Association Ohio. (2005). Retrieved March
2005, from http://www.nspraohio.org
Pearce, C. G., Johnson, I. W., & Barker, R. T. (1995). Enhancing the student
listening skills and environment. Business Communication Quarterly,
58(4), 28-34.
Smith, C., & King, P. (2004). Student feedback sensitivity and the efficacy of
feedback interventions in public speaking performance improvement.
Communication Education, 53(3), 203-217.
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